Ducky and Pembleton like to keep up-to-date on all the cool science news, especially Pembleton (who was a Mad Scientist for Halloween this year). Here are some of the latest Robotic News that has Ducky and the gang super excited!

Ted and Blizzard asked Pembleton: “What is a Robot? ” Pembleton got so excited he took them to his laboratory to explain.

“Robots come in all shapes and sizes. They have a computer for a brain, and sensors and moving parts that help them complete specific tasks. Robots are used to make cars, computers, to help rescue people or animals from disasters, and clean around the house.” Pembleton explained to the Lil’ Guys.

“Wow, they can clean up around the house?!?” said Ted super excited.

“Did you know robots can also be your friend, and play games with you?” Pembleton added.

“We need one,” Blizzard and Ted said at the same time while they jumped up and down.

Until Next Time, Pembleton wants you to KEEP BEING CURIOUS!

Pembleton asks, “What science subject would you like me to explain next?” Please leave in the comment section…

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Pineapple is one of Pembleton’s (and Ducky’s) favorite fruits. Pineapples are juicy and delicious, but recently when Pembleton was eating some pineapple he wondered about where they came from. With a little research he discovered many interesting things. For example, pineapples are originally from the American tropics, however they are now grown in Asia and Africa. Also, pineapples are a great source of Vitamin C, but they also contain chemicals that make it difficult to use them in Jello.

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In Canada, maple syrup is everywhere. While eating breakfast, Ducky asked “Where does this stuff come from?” As he poured a little more on to his pancakes. “I love maple syrup.”

Pembleton excitedly ran to his office, grabbed his earth science book, and brought it back to the table. He opened the book and searched through the pages until he found a page with a brightly colored tree. He pointed at the tree and said, “That is where maple syrup comes from”.

Ducky looked at Pembleton cross-eyed and said, “What?! How can maple syrup come from a tree? I don’t see any fruits on that tree.”

“It doesn’t come from fruit, silly.” Pembleton replied. “It comes from the sap. Look here. Farmers have to tap the trees and harvest gallons and gallons of sap. 40 gallons to be precise. Then they have to boil it down until there is only one gallon left and that becomes yummy syrup. Then they bottle it and ship it to the store.”

“Why do they boil it? It seems like such a waste.” Ducky said.

“Well the sap isn’t very good on it’s own. In order to get the great taste we all know and love, it needs to be concentrated. That’s why they boil it.” Pembleton said matter of factly.

Blizzard was stung by a bee today. As Pembleton put a band aid over the sting, Blizzard said, “I wish bees would just disappear!”

Pembleton turned to Blizzard and said, “You don’t want that to happen.”

“Why not?” Blizzard asked, still sniffling a little.

“Because bees have an important job. Without bees most of our fruits and vegetables wouldn’t grow. Bees make fruits grow by pollinating them. We also wouldn’t get to enjoy the honey they make. Plus, bees are scientifically amazing. There is a lot we can learn about how bees fly.”

When Pembleton finished explaining all of the amazing things about bees, he looked down at Blizzard and found that he was fast asleep.

Mercury is the closest planet to the sun. It is called a terrestrial planet because it is mostly made of rock. Since the planet has almost no atmosphere it experiences extreme temperature fluctuations. One really cool things about Mercury is that the surface of the planet is covered in large and small craters from where thousands of meteors have struck the planet. Another strange thing about Mercury is that is year (the time it takes to travel around the sun) is shorter than its day (the time it takes for the planet to rotate around its axis).

“The Sun is a giant burning ball of gas!” said Pembleton as Ducky giggled.

Mrs. Cottontail urged Pembleton to continue his report, while she gave Ducky “the stink eye”.

“Like I said, the Sun is a star and all stars are made up of mostly gases. When the gas burns it produces heat and light. Our Sun produces most of the energy that sustains life on Earth. It provides plants with food through photosynthesis. It helps to power homes and cars through solar power.” Pembleton confidently read his report. After he was done the class cheered.

“Any questions?” Pembleton asked.

“Can we visit the Sun?” Ducky asked.

“We are unable to visit the Sun for many reasons. One, it is too hot. Two, it is too far away. Three, we have recess in 5 minutes.” Pembleton answered. “But I did bring these awesome pictures of the Sun from a book I got at NASA. Do you want to see?” The whole class sat a little taller to get a better view as Pembleton showed them a few of his favorite photographs.

Today Ducky was jumping to catch early morning snowflakes in his mouth, when he asked Pembleton, “Why are snowflakes different from raindrops?”.

Pembleton said, “that is an interesting scientific question” and he asked the Lambs if they would retrieve some charts from his lab so that he could fully explain. Pembleton started, “Snowflakes and raindrops are both made of water”.

Ducky interrupted dancing with one wing in the air, “… but if they are both made of water, why do they look different?”.

“I’m getting to that! When the temperature is low, around 32 degrees Fahrenheit or 0 degrees Celcius, the water that would normally fall as raindrops turns into crystals. When these crystals grow, they form what we call snowflakes. During the 1920s, a scientist named ‘Snowflake Bentley’ took thousands of pictures of snowflakes showing the world that almost all snowflakes have different shapes.”

Ducky asked, “How do you know so much about snowflakes, Pembleton?”

“Snowflakes were my very first scientific interest. A large fluffy snowflake was the first thing I saw on the day that I hatched in the South Pole. Ever since then I have been studying these amazing little crystals.”

Until next time, Pembleton reminds you to KEEP BEING CURIOUS!

If you have a question for Pembleton, leave it in the comment section.

Earlier this week Ducky asked Pembleton, “How do seeds grow?” Pembleton got really excited and went to his study to retrieve lots of charts and figures of seeds and plants. Pointing to the seed, Pembleton started by explaining, “Seeds have something called DNA. DNA is a plan to build the entire plant from one tiny seed. The seed gathers energy and materials to grow from water, soil, and food stored inside the seed. Given water and soil with plenty of minerals, the seed will slowly add roots and leaves until it becomes a full grown plant.”

Ducky asked, “Can we grow an apple tree in the backyard?”

Pembleton said, “Yeah! Where will you get an apple seed?”

Ducky went to the kitchen and came back with two halves of a shiny red caramel apple. After eating the apple, Pembleton helped to extract the apple seeds. Then they went the backyard, made a small hole in the corner of the backyard, and planted the apple seed.

A Rocket is a vehicle that is shot up into the air using explosive gases. They can be simple or complex, depending on its use. While rockets can be used as a weapon, Pembleton prefers to study rockets that are used for space exploration.

Pembleton, Ducky and the rest of the gang are HUGE fans of NASA’s Johnson Space Center. They enjoy looking at the rocket ships and learning about space. However, Pembleton has to keep a close eye on Ducky, because he doesn’t like to just look- he likes to RIDE!

Until Next Time, Pembleton wants you to KEEP BEING CURIOUS!

Pembleton asks, “What science subject would you like me to explain next?” Please leave in the comment section below.

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Volcanoes are mountains formed by magma, and volcanic ash. Volcanoes can exist on land, under water, and even on other planets! Volcanoes start small but over long periods of time, magma, which turns into lava when it reaches the volcano’s surface, piles up causing the volcano to grow. In fact, the entire Hawaiian Islands were formed by volcanic eruptions. Sometimes when they erupt, they get smaller or change shape like Mt. St. Helens in Washington State, when the side blew out!

Until Next Time, Pembleton wants you to KEEP BEING CURIOUS!

Pembleton asks, “What science subject would you like me to explain next?” Please leave in the comment section below.

Ted and Blizzard asked Pembleton: “What is a Robot? ” Pembleton got so excited he took them to his laboratory to explain.

“Robots come in all shapes and sizes. They have a computer for a brain, and sensors and moving parts that help them complete specific tasks. Robots are used to make cars, computers, to help rescue people or animals from disasters, and clean around the house.” Pembleton explained to the Lil’ Guys.

“Wow, they can clean up around the house?!?” said Ted super excited.

“Did you know robots can also be your friend, and play games with you?” Pembleton added.

“We need one,” Blizzard and Ted said at the same time while they jumped up and down.

Until Next Time, Pembleton wants you to KEEP BEING CURIOUS!

Pembleton asks, “What science subject would you like me to explain next?” Please leave in the comment section below.